


The End

by SwirlingInferno



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: F/F, Kidnapping, Kissing, Lots of foilship too, M/M, Main ship is sharkbait, Possessive Behavior, Set during the Barian arc, Shark is moody and somewhat bipolar, Signs of insanity, Slight cursing because Shark and Vector, Unhealthy Relationships, Vector intervenes a lot though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:20:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26411776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwirlingInferno/pseuds/SwirlingInferno
Summary: Yuma makes a mistake trusting his closest friend again and Nasch just can't let go.
Relationships: Kamishiro Rio/Mizuki Kotori, Kamishiro Ryouga/Tsukumo Yuuma, Nasch/Yuma, Tsukumo Yuuma/Vector
Comments: 43
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Reads the tags before you read, this is gonna be one hell of a ride. Hope you enjoy.

Shark -- no -- _Nasch’s_ aura was suffocating as he stalked towards Yuma, an eerie look in his heterochromatic eyes. There were so many reasons why Yuma shouldn’t be here, so many reasons why he should run away while he still had the chance. 

  


Nasch’s Barian pendant had offered foggy memories of Shark’s past life, years and years shoved into Yuma’s mind in a matter of seconds.

  


Screams, anguish, grief, the thirst for revenge, carnage, blood that would forever stain, and insanity at the end of it all. 

  


And then now, in the present, Nasch had claimed to throw away all of his humanity, everything that made him “Ryouga” in order to properly lead the Barians.

  


IV’s death still weighed in Yuma’s heart and he knew that many others (who, he didn’t know, didn’t _want_ to know at the moment) were also gone. The war had only officially started and already there was so much death, so much grief. 

  


(Yuma still remembered III and V’s agonized screams)

  


But despite all of that pain and ruthlessness, despite all the warnings his friend’s had offered him the first time he tried, he had come anyway, desperate to find another way instead of fighting his most cherished friend. 

  


Astral and Kotori were still on the Key’s airship, sailing towards the Barian world. They had no idea of his little side-trip, to a hidden rift between worlds, and Yuma thought things would go better if it was just him talking to Nasch, with no interruptions by either side.

  


The Barian Lord came closer than before, his cape swaying in the wind. The place was similar to Sargasso, in the sense that it was a dimensional wasteland. Gravity was a bit twisted, and random pieces of junk would float off the ground, while others dropped abruptly with a loud _crash_. They were standing in an isolated corner, where Yuma was leaning against a huge slab of some sort of stone, remnants of a sort of wall it seemed, which he deemed safe enough for the moment. 

  


Nasch stood right in front Yuma now, the wind blowing harder than ever. 

  


“So you came,” his voice sounded the same as before, but now had the slight echoing sound of a Barian.

  


“I did,” Yuma replied, attempting desperately to keep the waver out of his tone. Even though he wasn’t scared of his friend, his new Barian form was intimidating, what with his crown, along with his cape and Barian pendant, symbolizing his position as leader. His red and gold armor accented his magenta skin tone, and it all came together to show a striking figure. Nasch narrowed his eyes slightly, seeming to have caught the slight waver. 

  


“I told you before. That I was a Barian and we were enemies. You even saw what I did to IV and the things I did in my past. And still, _still_ you came here when I said I wanted to talk. You’ll never change, will you?” for some reason, the hidden fondness in Nasch’s tone made Yuma shiver in apprehension. In his new form, in his new voice, it sounded almost... _wrong_ somehow _._

  


It didn’t matter though, he would still try to do whatever it took to convince Shark, Nasch, whoever he was now, to stop before things got worse than they already were. They were friends, regardless of what form or name he took, and Yuma would be damned if he didn’t at least try to talk to him. 

  


“No, I won’t,” Yuma started hesitantly, trying to find the right words to say. “But how about you Shar-I mean Nasch? I know that you don’t _really_ want to fight me, fight _us,_ and I’m sure we can find a way to resolve this peacefully!” 

  


The other closed his eyes at this, and Yuma didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t tell what Nasch was thinking anymore. His posture was stiff, back straight, and he lacked the additional facial features to convey emotion. Yuma desperately needed his friend to understand, but he seemed so far away from him now, and the thought that he couldn’t get through scared him. 

  


“I’ve seen the good in all you Barians!” he continued, pouring all of his emotions into his words. “Durbe when he helped us at the ruins, Alito in our fiery duels, and even Vector when he was posing as Shingetsu! _Please,_ Nasch! Astral world made a mistake throwing away all their chaos, sure, but if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean it’s possible for the two worlds to co-exist?” 

  


Nasch kept his eyes closed, turning away slightly. “I’m sorry Yuma. But for the sake of my people, for the sake of protecting my sister and my comrades, I must fight. The Astral world started this, and now one of us must finish it.”

  


Yuma felt frustrated tears well up in his ruby eyes, and he didn’t bother trying to stop them as they trailed down his dusty cheeks. He looked like a mess with his unruly hair filled with twigs and knots, vest practically in shreds, and cuts and bruises that littered almost all parts of his exposed skin. 

  


He had been on the move constantly without sleep for more than 24 hours now, shown by the deep, dark lines under his eyes. But he couldn’t stop, not _now,_ when he was so close. He just needed to convince him!

  


“No you don’t! Astral told me that he was doing this to protect his world, and if you’re _both_ just trying to protect yourselves, then just stop fighting!”

  


Nasch turned back and opened his eyes, widening slightly in shock at the sight of tears. He sighed, a pained sound that showed the humanity left in him. “Yuma, you must understand. We’re doing this for our own self-preservation. _They_ started this war, and who’s to say it won't happen again? I’m simply doing what needs to be done. 

  


Yuma blinked slowly, tears dripping from his eyelashes. Shark was so important to him, his best friend, and the one person he could confidently say held his whole heart. He felt himself shake at the thought that he couldn’t get through to him, There was no way he could handle it if...if...

  


“Shark...I-I can’t fight you. Please, can’t we at least _try_? You’re one of the most important people in my life, and too much has happened. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I lost you too.” he whispered, voice almost lost by the crash of another object.

  


The red-eyed duelist flinched in surprise as the other started glowing purple without warning, his aura temporarily blinding. Seconds later, it died down, revealing Shark back in his human form, his Barian pendant glinting in the dim light. 

  


He took another step forward, and they were standing _so_ close now. 

  


_“Yuma,”_ he breathed, taking a hand out to caress the other duelist’s cheek softly.

  


Yuma stiffened, trying to even his breaths as Shark took the final step, gently pinning him to the wall. What was he _doing?_

  


“S-Shark,” he stuttered, vainly trying to step back even though there was nowhere to go. 

  


“Shh..it’ll all be alright. Even though Ryouga Kamishiro died when I regained my memories, I can’t help but just-” he slowly moved forward, lips inches from Yuma’s. Yuma couldn’t help but let out a shaky exhale, closing his eyes tightly. Shark’s breath ghosted over his sensitive lips, and they quivered with want. He had never felt such conflicting emotions in his life. The other’s resolve was still unshaken, and that was the whole reason they were here, to change his mind and stop the fighting, but Shark was so warm, so familiar, and-

  


_He’s Nasch, not Shark. What about Astral? If you let yourself do this, then he and his world will be done for!_

  


Yuma flinched in shock, eyes wide open, accidentally bumping their noses together harshly.

  


The other blinked, surprised, but took a step back anyways. He didn’t seem to be in any pain, but there was clear hurt in his eyes, and he reached a hand towards Yuma uncertainty. For a sweet, sweet second, the optimistic boy saw only Shark. Not the Barian Emperor and leader, not the former ruler of a kingdom or a commander of war or any of that. All he saw was his best friend who he’d been crushing on forever. 

  


Then Shark closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was gone. The slight vulnerability was there, and it made Yuma’s heart twist, but there was somehow a difference. This was Nasch again. 

  


“Yuma?” he called, tone dull. He pulled his hand back and stuffed both of them in his pockets. “What’s wrong? Don’t you like me?” Yuma breathed in slowly, body trembling with the force of all of his emotions. After a couple of moments, he managed to regain his composure. 

  


“Nasch,” Yuma fiddled with the hem of his shirt, missing the familiar weight of the key against his chest. He had left it with Kotori on the airship, stating he needed some time alone. He knew what he had to say now, but it didn’t make it any easier. “I-I care about Astral. And you know that I can’t-that I can’t-” Yuma suddenly stopped as he glanced up, eyebrows furrowing when he noticed the other’s face. 

  


At the mention of Astral, Nasch’s expression immediately closed off, scowling menacingly. He closed the gap between them quickly and grabbed onto Yuma’s collar, a growl making its way out of his throat.

  


“Is that why?” his voice was still flat, but held undercurrents of rage, sorrow, desperation, and many others that Yuma didn’t dare name.

  


“Shark please-”

  


But he was past hearing anything at that point. His usually clear and focused blue orbs that Yuma could forever get lost in were glazed over, and he was continuously muttering to himself, Yuma’s collar still in a death grip. The red-eyed duelist could only pick out snippets of his words, and he grew increasingly concerned with each one. 

  


“If I can’t have you-”

  


“That damned Astral-”

  


“Burden of a world-”

  


“He won’t understand-”

  


“Can’t let go-”

  


“He’s mine-”

  


“Mine.”

  


“ _Mine.”_

  


“N-Nasch, a-are you okay?” he asked concerningly. He didn’t _quite_ understand what was going on, but it was obvious that the Barian was under some deep distress.

  


When Nasch looked up, the fog in his eyes had cleared away. Instead of feeling relieved though, Yuma couldn’t help but think that there was something more happening, Nasch’s eyes had another deep fiery look there, one with a great purpose. 

  


He slowly let go of the other’s collar, gently placing him back down.

  


“I’ve decided,” he said, with a tone of finality. “That I can’t let you go back.”

  


“W-What?! But I _have_ to go back! Astral needs me and-”

  


“Goddamn it! Yuma, is that all you ever fucking think about?!” Nasch pinned him against the wall once more, and Yuma groaned in pain, as there was much more force behind his grip. “I have a world to think about too! But you ignore me, and you go after that accursed alien _every. single._ **_fucking._ ** _time!!!”_

  


Yuma widened his eyes, surprised at the outburst. He didn’t know that the other felt so strongly about him…

  


“But,” he closed his eyes again, scowl disappearing into a fond smile. “I get that. You’ve taken it upon yourself to shoulder the burden of Astral world. You care for everyone, but he’s the one you care for most…Zexal is all about your bonds after all.”

  


Yuma closed his eyes too, allowing a serene smile to grace his lips. Even though he liked Shark a lot, he wasn’t wrong. Astral had said that they could only perform Zexal because they were so close, and apparently there was the possibility that they were literal halves of the same soul. He couldn’t _not_ like Astral. 

  


“Then again...I’ve tried so hard to let go, but I just can’t.”

  


Yuma opened his eyes again to look at Nasch, who’s smile didn’t seem so genuine anymore. “As I said before, Ryouga is dead, and yet I _can’t_ let go. I think...I think that I still love you, even as Barian Lord Nasch.”

  


Yuma blushed as he looked at the other in wonder. He’d been wanting to hear those words for _so_ long. 

  


Nasch opened his eyes and leaned forward again, lips hovering just millimeters away from Yuma’s. “Yuma... _please.”_

  


Yuma couldn’t think anymore. Nasch’s declaration of love and his genuine care made all sensible thoughts flee from his head. He leaned forward to _finally_ close the space between them.

  


He shuddered as Nasch immediately took full control of the kiss. They kept doing simple mouth to mouth contact for a while, separating, before re-connecting their lips seconds later. Yuma laid his head against the wall, whimpering at _finally_ being able to kiss the other after so long. Nasch used his hands to cup Yuma’s face a bit roughly, while Yuma had both his fists bunched into the Barian’s jacket. 

  


As soon as he felt teeth nibbling against his lower lip though, reality came crashing down onto Yuma. Without thinking, he pushed the other away with a force that surprised even himself. 

  


Nasch barely stumbled, but when he looked up, instead of something angry that one should expect after being pushed away like that. there was a triumphant gleam in his eyes. 

  


“I knew it.”

  


Yuma couldn’t say anything, focusing on regaining any semblance of control, but he tilted his head anyway to convey his confusion. 

  


Nasch started laughing. Instead of something that sounded joyful though, it sounded border-line _hysterical_ and it echoed and echoed and echoed as Nasch tilted his head back, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. It reminded Yuma of Sargasso, and while it was something he _never_ wanted to think about again, it was kind of like Shingetsu’s laugh right before transforming into Vector, something that held a kind of madness, a kind of...dark insanity that’s finally revealed after hiding it for so long. 

  


But what Yuma didn’t understand was _why_ he was laughing like that. Nasch said that what they had before was genuine, and that he only recently regained his memories. Had his past life affected him so much, to the point where he was a completely different person, with a different personality? It didn’t make sense. 

  


Slowly, but surely the laughter finally began to die down, but there was now a chill in the air. Yuma didn’t know what to expect next. He _really_ wanted to go back to the ship, to go back and forget this ever happened, but the reason he was able to even get here in the first place was because Nasch brought him.

  


For the first time, Yuma finally realized how vulnerable he was. No matter how bad this encounter went, he had to rely on Nasch to bring him back. And why should he? He was on his way to go fight the Barians in their world and Nasch was the freaking _leader_ of them! Yeah, this was not a well thought out plan…

  


Nasch seemed to notice the dawning realization on his face. He smirked before placing both hands on his Barian pendant.

  


“Bariarphose,” he whispered, before being washed in his purple aura once more. 

  


Yuma felt scared. He didn’t _want_ to feel this way, but he couldn’t help it. He had poured everything he had into his words, but it didn’t seem to affect the other’s resolve at all. Plus, Nasch was acting really strange. His emotions continued to change rapidly, and while it was something that sometimes happened with Shark, it was never to such an extreme degree.

  


A clawed finger pulled him out of his thoughts, slowly dragging along his chin.

  


Yuma snapped his eyes open, Nasch’s heterochromatic eyes glittering in mock amusement. 

  


“It’s all okay now,” he cooed, his other claw coming to idly twirl one of Yuma’s red bangs, which were drooping considerably. “You’ve always come after me and tried to be my friend. And even now, you still care, that was obvious from the kiss.” 

  


Yuma blushed.

  


“-but you’re scared of the pain right? Scared of who you might lose?” 

  


Nasch tilted his head and Yuma had the feeling that if he had a mouth, he would be smiling. 

  


“Don’t worry, I’ll be the one to go after you now, and I’ll make everything okay, just like you did with me when Merag was in a coma. I understand that feeling, the fear of loss, and I’ll make sure you  _ never  _ feel it again.” 

  


Yuma’s blush faded as he felt dread begin to settle in his stomach, even if the words were innocent enough. 

  


Was this how it was with Shingetsu? Words that were said to invoke senses of comfort, but were actually meant to harm? 

  


But no, Nasch’s words were genuine. That much was clear. Then what was this feeling making his whole body tense? One telling him that he should be trying to escape instead of just standing there?

  


Nasch’s eyes started to glow, and then suddenly he  _ moved.  _ One second, he was caressing Yuma’s chin and hair, the next he was holding Yuma’s shoulders in a death grip, digging into his flesh slightly. 

  


Yuma hissed in pain, finally allowing himself to feel the full extent of his pain and fear. Something was wrong.

  


" _ I’ll protect you now.” _

  


Those words echoed in his head as a wave of fatigue suddenly washed over him. 

  


Something was  _ dreadfully wrong.  _

  


“S-Shaaku,” he managed to get out. “W-What’s going o-on…?”

  


“It’s not your fault that dreaded Astral being came to you. But don’t worry, I’ll make things  _ right.  _ I’ll protect you from now on.”

  


Yuma found that he couldn’t reply as he lost control of all his limbs. He would’ve collapsed if it weren’t for the claws still holding onto him, hugging him tightly now. 

  


_ “I’ll never let you go.” _

  


Those words were the last thing he heard, before everything went black. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it!
> 
> Don't worry guys Vector and the other characters will be in the next chapter.
> 
> I'm not sure if anyone likes this sort of thing so some kind of reassurance would be greatly appreciated XP


	2. Chapter 2

Yuma felt weightless. Time was nonexistent as he floated around, not bothering to open his eyes. Everything felt warm, and fuzzy. It seemed nothing could break the peace, all thoughts and worries drifting away. 

“Y..um-”

A faint buzzing began to ring out, and Yuma frowned in annoyance, trying to swat the noise away.

“Yu….m-”

“Yu...m….a...”

The buzzing slowly transformed into a voice. It sounded familiar, and the slight panic in it made Yuma uneasy. With his eyes still closed, he tried grasping his thoughts, but they continued to evade him, moving away at the last second. 

“Yu...ma...”

“Yum...a!”

What was he doing before this anyway? There was...a junkyard, and a...a Barian? 

“Yuma!”

Yuma snapped his eyes open, the sudden loud voice finally bringing him out of his daze. Memories rushed through his head at a sickening speed as he tried to regain his bearings. That’s right...he was kidnapped by Nasch, who had been acting super strange. 

“Yuma, please. You’re about to wake up soon and you need to hear this.”

An image of someone floated above Yuma’s head, and they snapped a finger right next to his ear. Their steel-cold blue eyes glared at him, but there was a gentle softness that Yuma could recognize anywhere. 

“...Kaito?” he said, voice hoarse as he tried to sit up, but found that he didn’t have the energy.

“Stay down. Yes, it’s me, but we don’t have much time. This might be my only opportunity to talk to you.” 

Kaito was scowling deeply, but he didn’t seem to be upset at him. “Are you paying attention? We only have one chance to make this work.” 

Everything was still a bit blurry, but if they really did have so little time, then Yuma could push through, for Kaito’s sake. 

“Y-Yeah. Go a-ahead,” he mumbled, drinking in the other’s face. If he really _was_ kidnapped, he wanted to remember this, to make sure he always had a reason to escape. 

Kaito sighed. His eyes were fogged over, and it looked like he hadn’t slept in a long time. Blueberry bangs, which were usually spiked up to perfection, brushed against his forehead, threatening to droop over completely. Now that Yuma was paying a bit more attention, he noticed the other was in Photon mode, and the pristine quality of his clothes contrasted his haggard face. 

Despite all of that, there was still a sharp and determined look in his eyes, piercing through the haze. “Can you tell us where you are right now? Apparently something happened on your guy’s trip to Barian world. Kotori and Astral came back just a couple hours ago and all of us have retreated for now. I have something I need to do as fast as possible, but the others are in trouble with all the brainwashed humans going around. We need you to come back, so we can make another move. We’re pretty powerless right now.”

Yuma bit his lip, guilt eating at him. He really should’ve thought more before leaving them all behind. “I-I don’t know where I am. I was talking to Shar-I mean Nasch in a rift during the trip. I tried talking to him, but he wouldn’t l-listen. In the end, when he turned back to his Barian form, he was saying stuff about protecting me, and then everything went black.” 

Kaito scowled and leaned forward to flick his head. _Hard._

“You _idiot,”_ he said, clearly exasperated. “IV already tried reasoning with him, and that resulted in his death. And even so, you trusted him _again? And,_ I’m pretty sure that whole “protecting” thing is bullcrap and he’s just trying to take away the Barian’s biggest enemy. By taking you away, that’s one of our strongest duelists, and then we don’t have ZEXAL on our side anymore. I’m guessing Nasch took you to Barian world to ensure you have no way back.”

Yuma winced slightly, more out of shame than the pain. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I just didn’t want to...and I still believed in him...and-and-”

Kaito sighed as his image began to waver, and he used both hands to hold onto Yuma’s shoulders, desperation starting to seep through in his expression. Even so, he was able to offer a shaky smile. “I know. It’s okay now. Just remember, we all need you back. Find a way. We’re all counting on you.” With what seemed like his last bits of energy, he managed to finish. “For Earth...and for the Astral world.”

“Kaito!” Yuma called, the other’s image turning into swirling wisps of mist. “I’ll come back! I’ll come back and save all of our friends!”

The image swirled once more, and the photon duelist looked like he was laughing. 

As the wisps began to disperse, Kaito’s last words echoed _“I know you will, Yuma. We’re all waiting. Now hurry, and awake!”_

All at once, the weightlessness and warmth and fuzziness went away as if they were never there in the first place. Everything seemed to dissolve, and Yuma closed his eyes, mentally preparing for what awaited him.

~*~

What he _didn’t_ expect was to wake up in a soft, plush bed, a swath of pillows surrounding him like a fort. Glancing at the ceiling, Baria crystals studded out like stalactites, providing warmth, and glowing various shades of red. His clothes were still torn, and his body still filthy, so at least it didn’t seem like anyone did anything to him beyond placing him on the bed. Knocking down a couple of indigo-colored pillows, Yuma sat up, getting a good look around the room. 

It was small, but cozy. About the same size as his old room, the place looked like it was just moved into. Empty boxes were shoved into one corner of the wall, his name written in an unfamiliar scrawl on all of them in black Sharpie. His bed was in the middle of the back wall, with crimson sheets, patterned with monsters from his deck. He recognized Gagaga magician and Gagaga girl right away, them being the biggest monsters stitched on. Quickly glancing to the right, he noticed a nightstand. And then on his left, was a tall, indigo bookshelf, with various dueling magazines, comics, and other reading materials stacked neatly on top of each other. On the very top shelf, Yuma could barely make out some board games amongst other things, which were probably even more sources of entertainment.

There didn’t seem to be any sort of door or exit, which was kind of worrying, all four walls painted the same color as his sheets. Looking back at the nightstand, Yuma noticed a glass of water with a note attached to it. Seeing the liquid, he suddenly realized how parched his throat was, and immediately gulped it all down, not bothering to think about the consequences. 

When his thirst was satisfied, he took another glance at the note. It was in Shark’s handwriting, which brought his full attention. It looked kinda long, so he laid back down onto the bed, getting into a comfortable position while smoothing the note down. 

He slowly read it, then re-read it, then re-read it _again_ just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, terror slowly making its way around his chest. 

  
  


_Dear Yuma,_

_I’m sorry it has to be this way, but I’m doing this to protect you. You’re in Barian World right now, and while I can’t be there all the time to care for your needs, one of the emperors will always be in the palace if you need anything. There are no doors and the only way in and out is through teleportation so you can’t escape. Knock on any wall three times and the Barian in charge will come in to check in on you. There are things to do on the bookshelf, but unfortunately, I can’t allow you to keep your disk or deck, and I have both of those things at the moment. You’ll stay here during the whole duration of the war, but if any of us are free, and you behave yourself, you can come outside and see the Barian world for yourself. Food will be brought in three times a day, and you will be well-cared for. Only when the Astral world is destroyed will you be allowed free access out. I wish there was another way, but this is how things will have to be now. Remember, I’m doing this for you, and I’ll see you soon._

_I’m sorry,_

_Barian Lord Nasch_

Yuma choked on a sob, and immediately tried to jump out of the bed. He managed to get his whole body out, but the sheets tangled around his ankles, and his whole body ended up landing on the floor with a loud _thud_ . Not feeling the pain, he quickly came into a sitting position, clenching his chest tightly where the key would be as tears began to stream down. He wanted-no, he _needed_ to see Astral right now. Feeling slightly hysterical, Yuma scrambled toward the wall where a door would be and started to bang on it with all of his strength. He let out a loud, guttural scream, finally letting all his panic, terror, and heartbreak out. 

When did everything go wrong? 

When did his life become one mistake after the other?

When did dueling become a means for harm instead of something fun?

  
When did everyone he cared about either landed in extreme danger or ended up betraying him?

After his screams finally died down, Yuma slumped onto the ground, energy mostly spent. He was so caught up in his emotions; sobs turning into tiny hiccups, then sniffles, that he didn’t notice the other’s presence until they were kneeling beside him.

"Yuma- _kun_?" a familiar voice called, a sweet, deceitful voice that still haunted the red-eyed duelist’s nightmares.

Yuma tensed, trying to convince himself that it wasn’t _him,_ that Nasch wouldn’t be so cruel as to let _him_ be the person to try to take care of him, especially right after being forcefully dragged away from all his friends.

"Yuma- _kun_ , are you alright?” _he_ asked again, as if this were back then, when everything was alright; as if Sargasso never happened, as if Yuma’s heart was never shattered into a million pieces that he still struggled to put back together. 

“Go away,” he croaked, voice almost gone from all the screaming.

“It’s okay, Yuma- _kun_ ~ ” _his_ voice immediately changed, turning back to his deep, teasing voice. “Nasch would have my head if I ever hurt a hair on your pretty little head anyway~ So c’mon, can’t you just look at me? 

Mustering up whatever faux bravado he had left, Yuma turned to face _him._

_Vector._ The one person, who while he still didn’t hate, despite all that he had done, he definitely didn’t _like._ Maybe something had happened in the ginger’s life to make him like this, Yuma gave him the benefit of the doubt after all, but until he had the full story, Yuma would never be able to _like_ him.

The other was in human form, and had his signature smirk plastered on his face. He wore the same outfit that he did in the ruins; a black, fur-collared leather jacket over a dark purple shirt, with his Baria necklace peeking through, and black, tight-fitting jeans. 

“Oh, there we go~!” he cooed, patting onto Yuma’s hair hard enough to cause a migraine. “Nasch _really_ didn’t want me to stay with you, you know, him being so possessive and all, but all the others have their own things today.” he then lowered his voice down to a mere whisper, acting like he was sharing some deep secret. “Personally, I wonder if any of your friends will even survive today with all the planning the others are doing?~”

“W-What?!” Yuma yelped, then immediately winced right after when his throat protested. “L-Let me go then, I need to help them!” he rasped, the best he could do with his throat aching so much. 

Vector pouted, but the mischievous gleam in his bright, violet eyes dampened the effect. “But you just came here Yuma- _kun_ ~ ” he whined, placing a hand on the red-eyed duelist’s shoulder. “Plus!” he visibly brightened up, jumping onto his feet and offering Yuma a hand. “I need to take care of you! Your clothes and body are still oh-so-filthy, and dear old Naschie-poo would _never_ approve of that, now would he?~”

Glancing back at the dirt and cuts all over his body, and then at the hand being offered to him, Yuma decided to try to strike some sort of deal. He knew all the other Barians would be loyal towards their leader, but Vector usually did his own thing. Even at Sargasso, when he did his whole dramatic reveal, Kaito had mentioned that the other Barians seemed upset, or even against the whole thing. Maybe if he offered something of sufficient value, the prankster would help him out, even if just a little bit. It was worth a try, at least.

“Hey, Vector?” he asked, testing the waters, so to speak 

The other seemed to notice the contemplative on Yuma’s face, and a look of pure glee erupted onto his face. “Why, Yuma- _kun!_ Could it be that you’re going to try to escape with my help? I’d be _honored_ you know~”

Yuma flinched, forgetting how perceptive the ginger could be. 

_This is Vector, not Shingetsu. Of course he’s more perceptive. If I wanna get back home and help out my friends, I gotta be better than this!_

“Ah-actually yeah...I-I think so. Would you be willing to?” Vector already knew his plan, so there was _probably_ no problem in admitting that he needed help. You never knew with the unpredictable Barian. Plus, he was desperate to see Astral again.

As soon as he said that though, Vector’s smile grew in size until it looked like it would split his face right in half. “Of course _I’d_ be willing to help you escape, but what are _you_ willing to give me in exchange?”

Of course, there was something to it. 

“I wouldn’t want to upset my _esteemed_ leader without a good reason~” he continued, placing a hand on his chest in a dramatic fashion. He then looked down at Yuma, who was still sitting down on the floor, _tsking_ in mock disappointment. “But, my, my, Yuma- _kun_ , you don’t have _anything_ to offer now, do you? You abandoned poor Astral- _chan_ and left him on Earth, _easy_ pickings among your other weak friends.”

Yuma looked away, gritting his teeth in frustration. He hadn’t had the time to sort through his emotions properly, but guilt was the number one thing he felt. He left everyone behind on Earth for the Barians to kill off, and he didn’t even know who was gone. And as loathe as he was to admit it, Vector was right to say that Astral was in much a more vulnerable position, not being able to form ZEXAL and not used to using anyone else’s deck, if he even _had_ a holder at this point.

Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, mentally berating himself over and over again. How could he have so _stupid,_ so _selfish,_ so…

“But I can think of something _else_ you could offer if you’re interested?~”

Damn it. There was no way he could refuse now, and if the other’s smirk was anything to go by, he knew it too. 

“W-What is it?” Yuma sighed, resigned to his fate. 

Vector smirked again, humor dancing in his eyes. “It’s not even as bad as you think.” 

He leaned down, scooping Yuma up bridal-style like it was nothing, then threw him onto the bed, climbing on after him. All in approximately two seconds. Yuma yelped in surprise at the sudden movements, but was unable to do anything as Vector pinned him down, rendering him helpless. 

“You might even enjoy it~” he sing-songed as he began to lean down, suddenly _so close._ He stopped then, winking at the other, causing his eyelashes to brush against Yuma’s cheekbone. If either of them moved even the slightest bit, their lips would touch. “ _Yuma-kun,_ _”_ he breathed, and Yuma gasped as he smelled mint mixed in what seemed to be dark chocolate. It was a hypnotizing smell, and he found himself staring at the Barian, waiting with bated breath for his next move. 

Vector’s bangs rustled slightly at the movement, and he smiled, a disarmingly cute Shingetsu smile, before leaning in, lips meeting in an oddly tender kiss.

It only lasted that way for a second, because Vector suddenly pushed again with fiery fervor. He clawed on Yuma’s sides, unrelenting in his movements.

The red-eyed duelist whimpered at the sudden assault to his senses. This was only his second kiss, and it was much rougher than the first. He tried hard to reciprocate, but found the other moving too fast, roaming hands all over his sensitive body.

Vector continued to push and push, applying almost bruising pressure to Yuma’s lips, before the tanned boy finally opened his mouth, trying to escape the pain.

The Barian chuckled into the kiss, and swiftly slipped his tongue inside, Yuma having no time to react. They had a brief battle for dominance, which Vector won almost immediately. Their tongues brushed against each other a couple of times before the ginger decided to start exploring Yuma’s mouth. 

Yuma let him do so, laying back while the other's tongue went over the roof of his mouth, the sides of his cheeks, and everything else that he could touch, very thorough in his exploration.

After a few more moments of struggling to get enough air though, Yuma finally forced their mouths apart, panting harshly. 

Vector seemed unaffected by the lack of oxygen _\- did Barians even need to breathe? -_ having the nerve to blow another kiss his way. Chuckling in amusement, he said, “See, was that so bad?~”

Yuma couldn’t respond, busy trying to restore his body to its natural state. He attempted to glare at his companion, but Vector simply rolled his eyes. 

“Oh, don’t be like that, Yuma- _kun_ ~” he reprimanded playfully. “You’re the one I kissed while still being totally filthy!”

“Whatever,” Yuma mumbled, glancing up at the ceiling to try and avoid eye-contact. “Are you going to help me now?”

Vector took a hand to his chin, trying to look lost in thought, but his huge smirk gave it away. “Weeeell, I _guess_ I could give you some information on the Barian’s plans. I liked the kiss, don’t get me wrong, you were simply _wonderful_ , but I don’t think it equals me trying to help you escape just yet.”

Yuma huffed, bringing a hand to his swollen lips, and touching the tender skin there. His gaze was still focused on anything but the Barian hovering over him. “So you’ll help me, but slowly over time pretty much?”

Vector winked. “ _Pretty_ much, Yuma- _kun_ ~ I’ll ask you to do some small things for me with the other Barians now and again during your stay, but nothing _serious.”_ he then leaned down again so Yuma could only look at him and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “And so we’ll have some more time to hang out and you can be with your dear Ryouga again!” 

He paused, before frowning at that statement. “That sounds wrong actually. I think I’ll stick with Nasch. Surely he’s still as annoying as before.”

Yuma sighed. “So what do we do now?”

Vector finally rolled off the bed, getting up, stretching in a way reminiscent of a cat, yawning all the while. “Well, _first_ we’ll obviously get you cleaned up for your dinner, and then we can get started on anything else.”

“Where will I wash up?”

“Well, where else would we get water that’s not complete acid and rips your flesh from your bones?~ Earth of course!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was fast, wasn't it~
> 
> Anyway, this was my first time ever attempting to write Vector so I hope he's in character, and I hope this chapter overall was okayyyyy.
> 
> I'll probably take a while before the next one because I want to update Promise Me and this other story on Quotev so...just keep that in mind.
> 
> Also, if you guys have any ideas for future chapters or even guesses on what you think will happen, I'm all up for hearing it! I love hearing what people who read this think so don't be shyyyyy.


	3. Chapter 3

Going around shopping with Vector was an experience all right. One Yuma _never_ wanted to repeat again. 

  


The ginger had dragged Yuma to at least 10 different stores, being all sweet-faced and innocent to anyone they encountered, while casually shop-lifting anything the red-haired duelist looked at for more than five seconds. They continued to get stared at, because Vector was an asshole and refused to let Yuma clean off until they finished shopping. They sure made for a strange sight, two Japanese kids running around in an American store (At least that’s where Vector told them they were), one of them filthy and continuously shouting, while the other one giggled and dragged him off.

  


Yuma _tried_ to protest all the obviously illegal things Vector was doing, who was even going as far as to directly teleport a whole rack of snacks to his room, but it all for naught. 

  


_“Hey Vector, couldn’t you conjure up some more money or something to buy any of this legally? Or, if you really don’t have enough money, just buy the things I’ll actually_ **_need._ ** _All those comics and board games were unnecessary. Nasch already bought me a ton.”_

  


_“Ah, but you looked like you so desperately wanted them Yuma-kun!~ And sadly, my_ **_esteemed_ ** _leader Nasch has put me on_ **_quite_ ** _the budget for you. It’s all fine though, you can just repay with some more kisses later!~”_

  


_“V-Vector! They aren’t even yours! Why would I repay_ **_you_ ** _?!”_

  


_“Because I’m the only Barian kind enough to get you what you want, and I’m even going to help you escape. I believe that’s reason enough~”_

  


_“B-but, AGH!-”_

  


Yuma couldn’t really do anything though, for as loathe as he was to admit it, he was dependent on Vector in this situation. Nothing looked familiar anymore, and it was a constant reminder of the real reason they were here. And even _if_ Yuma was able to gather the courage to leave his “caretaker”, he would have no idea on how to get help. 

  


If only Astral were here. _He_ would know what to do. _He_ would be able to find a way to contact their friends and get back home. As it was, Yuma just grit his teeth together while Vector shoved all of their _legal_ purchases into his hands. 

  


“Okay, Yuma- _kun_!~” Vector finally exclaimed as they stood in front of the parking lot of the store they were just in, clapping his hands together with glee. “Merag already booked a hotel for us here so we can go there now to drop off those things.”

  


Yuma sighed in relief, temporarily overcoming the draining negative emotions. His arms were quivering with strain, both of them having been pulled to taffy by Vector’s grabby hands. His legs had felt sore ever since he woke up, and Yuma was afraid they were about to give up on him at any moment. He was ready to go and _sleep._

  


“Sounds good then.”

  


“And then we can take a bath together!~” Vector added cheerfully, grabbing one of Yuma’s arms and chuckling slightly. 

  


“E-eh?!” Yuma yelped in surprise. He looked at Vector with wide eyes, shock filling his whole expression. 

  


Vector stepped back at his reaction, tilting his head in faux confusion. “What is it Yuma- _kun_?” he asked, his soft, innocent voice at odds with his wicked smirk. “Are you too scared to be with me anymore? It’s not like it’s anything I haven’t seen before.”

  


Yuma blushed heavily as he turned his head to the side, the bluntness catching him off guard. He knew that Vector wanted to kiss him, but wasn’t this too much, too fast? Vector was still acting like none of what happened before had even occurred, like everything was how it was before. 

  


“W-whatever. We were never even together that way so just be quiet and let’s just hurry up.” Yuma mumbled, trying to will his blush away. By the shit-eating grin beginning to form on Vector’s face, Yuma assumed he had failed. 

  


“Alright, alright, Yuma- _kun_ , if you _insist._ We actually _do_ have to hurry though. Dear old Nasch has put us on a time limit, and we have to be back before sunset.”

  


Yuma flinched at the mention of the name as memories of the kidnapping flashed through his head, any sort of relief or happiness vanishing in an instant. 

  


How could he have forgotten about the seriousness of this situation? This was not something fun, or a sort of thing they were doing together as friends. As soon as he finished cleaning himself off and preparing his bags, he would be forced back to Barian world. He would be forced to stay in that tiny, cramped room while Astral and his other friends fought for their _lives_. 

  


The red-eyed duelist scoffed this time, turning back to face Vector with a raised eyebrow. He felt annoyed now at the other’s nonchalant behavior. “And since when does the great Vector listen to anyone other than himself?”

  


“Wow, _wow_ ,” Vector praised as he chuckled, not seeming to care about Yuma’s sudden shift in attitude at all. “Never knew you had it in you to be like that, Yuma- _kun._ Guess I’m rubbing off on you already, eh?~”

  


Yuma sighed, too tired and upset to deal with this right now. “Can we just hurry up already? I’m hungry, and I want to just sleep and forget about all of you idiots for a while.”

  


Vector actually seemed surprised at that statement, mouth open in a small O. 

  


He didn’t say anything though, for once being silent as he simply took one of Yuma’s arms and teleported them to the hotel room. 

  


~*~

  


Yuma couldn’t stop the tears that overflowed as soon as he stepped into the shower, dirty clothes shoved into the corner. The place looked the same as any generic hotel bathroom, with all the normal conveniences. Small samples of soaps, shampoo, and body wash were laid neatly on the sink, unopened and unused. The new bottles that he had purchased earlier were on a small ledge on one side of the shower, caps already flipped open. 

  


The tears mixed in with the hot water of the shower as he began to massage his unruly hair with the shampoo, taking his time in trying to take out the thick knots. Each knot took forever in untangling, and Yuma allowed himself to close his eyes, beginning to organize his thoughts on an escape plan. It wouldn’t do any good if he just continued on like this. 

  


Alone, Yuma would be caught in a heartbeat, and that wasn’t even considering the fact that his room had no doors. But if he had even one reliable Barian Emperor on his side, he might stand a chance in being able to return home. 

  


Vector might have been his only current source of information among the seven, but he was also deceitful, and could easily turn on him. Yuma had already allowed himself to get too close, so he should pull back a bit before things got out of hand. 

  


Nasch was the one who kidnapped him in the first place, and by what happened earlier, wasn’t going to let him go any time soon. He was also the leader of the Barians, and had the most power. 

  


Merag definitely wouldn’t help Yuma try to escape at all, as she was Nasch’s sister, and completely loyal to him. She _might_ be able to spare him some information on his friends though, as she was still Rio, despite what anyone said. 

  


Mizael might be a bit proud and arrogant, but he obviously felt no personal animosity towards him, other than the fact that he was teamed up with Astral. Mizael was completely loyal to Durbe though, so that may be a problem. 

  


Speaking of Durbe, _he_ obviously would be no help at all, being Nasch’s immediate right-hand man. He was the one who had been searching for his king forever, and probably second only to Merag loyalty-wise. 

  


Alit and Girag were both uncertain as they had been acting strange ever since they came back from their duels. The Alito of the past would’ve helped Yuma as much as he could without outright betraying his leader, but now, he would probably just mock and insult Yuma in his present state. Same with Girag. 

  


Which left Vector, who could turn on him at any moment, and Mizael, who had no reason to help Yuma whatsoever. Escaping _could_ pose a problem…

  


But he couldn’t let the overwhelming odds slow him down. He had to take things one step at a time and try his best to get back to his friends. 

  


Yuma sighed, finally allowing his body to relax as tension began to bleed out. He had a plan now, even if it was very broad. 

  


The red-eyed duelist stood there as the water washed away all the suds and dirt from his hair and body, physically feeling better than he had in weeks. He didn’t allow himself to relish in the feeling for long though, quickly grabbing a towel and rubbing his whole body down. 

  


An outfit was laid scattered across the sink, and he began to wear each article of clothing as he allowed the towel to fall to the floor, eyes blazing in determination. He would get ready, and return back to the Barian world with Vector. Then, Yuma would begin to get as much information as possible about the layout of the world and the condition of his friends, gauging the loyalty of each of the Barians in the process. 

  


Once he opened the door, he found Vector sitting on one of the beds, watching a horror movie. It was a grotesque scene, with the murderer slowly disemboweling the body with a knife. Yuma quickly looked away, lest he threw up simply from the sight. 

  


Vector looked bored though, twirling a pen in his hand as he clucked his tongue in disappointment. He had changed his clothes in the time Yuma was in the bathroom, the Heartland uniform that he wore as a “disguise” of sorts laying haphazardly across the floor. He was now wearing a purple tank top along with a pair of tight, black jeans. Compared to his over-the-top acting when wearing the uniform or the downright sadistic way he acted when wearing his leather jacket, this just made him seem...like a normal human. You could see anyone like this on the streets and not give him a second thought. It was interesting, to say the least. 

  


“Do any of these people know how to kill people properly?” Vector drawled, rolling his eyes in disgust. He laid back against the bed, but lazily flitted his eyes over to Yuma when he came in, shamelessly raking his eyes over his form. 

  


Yuma had felt too exhausted to bother with the hair gel, so his hair was down for the first time in what felt like forever. The reason he always kept it up was that he felt like a girl from how long it was, and he felt the same as Vector continued to stare.

  


He also chose not to wear a hair tie until his hair dried completely so it just laid against the back of his plain white T-shirt, one of his outfits courtesy of Vector. His black tights fit as snugly as his previous white pants, if not a bit tighter. Yuma felt a bit exposed without his red vest, which always contained his dueling gear, and of course, his Key, which made the staring all the more intense and uncomfortable. 

  


“You look pretty, Yuma- _kun._ ” Vector finally said, rolling over to get off the bed. He yawned loudly and cricks in his back popped as he began to collect his bags from the corner of the room. 

  


“I’m not a girl. Only girls are pretty,” Yuma grumbled, standing stiffly in the corner and waiting for the inevitable return to Barian world. 

  


Vector smirked at his posture, and Yuma swore that he purposefully stepped forward towards him with all the intents of intimidating him as much as possible. 

  


“What’s wrong, Yuma- _kun_?” he asked mockingly, leaning forward so that his breath hit the red-eyed duelist’s lips. “Don’t want to go see dear ol’ Nasch again?”

  


Yuma stiffened even more at the name. He didn’t hate Nasch, how could he, with all they had gone through together, but it was certainly a complicated topic. They were supposed to be enemies now, yet The Barian Lord had kidnapped him against his will. Sure, he said it was to protect him, but that didn’t change the fact that all of Yuma’s other friends were in grave danger (or that some of them were already gone).

  


Vector seemed to notice the conflicting emotions passing through the other’s face, and he giggled, _giggled,_ as he dropped the bags at Yuma’s feet, opting to cup his cheeks instead. 

  


They stared at each other for a moment, playful amethyst meeting nervous bright red, before Vector closed the gap, soft lips at odds with his roughness.

  


It seemed Vector was full of contradictions; he was soft, yet rough, playful, but serious. It made Yuma’s head spin as he struggled to kiss back, hands twitching at his sides. He still had no idea where to put them or what exactly to do. 

  


The one kiss he had shared with Nasch felt completely natural. Everything came to him instinctively and it just felt _right_. But with Vector, it was so different. A thrill shot up against his spine, but he still had the inexplicable feeling that he was edging closer to his demise. 

  


It felt like he was drowning, it felt like he was getting a breath of air for the first time. It was dangerous, it was intoxicating, it was thrilling, and Yuma simply couldn’t get enough. 

  


By the sharp nails Vector was raking against his sides, or the desperate pushing of the other’s body, Yuma could say it was the same for Vector too. 

  


After Yuma was finally starting to get really into it, Vector pulled back, lips swollen as he swiped a tongue over them. His amethyst eyes were so, so dark, and Yuma felt another thrill shoot up his spine. 

  


“Let’s go back now, huh?” Vector whispered, for once seeming like he was out of breath. 

  


Yuma simply nodded, allowing the other to take their belongings and teleport them away.

  


Once he closed his eyes and felt the familiar rush of his body coming apart and being put back together, Yuma tried to calm his racing heart.

  


_I really should push away now while I still have the chance. But...do I even have the chance anymore?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been almost exactly a month since I last posted. Hopefully, the next update won't take as long ^^'
> 
> I hope Vector isn't super out of character in this one, of course he would be trying to regain Yuma's trust, for whatever intentions, so he would at least try to be *nicer*.
> 
> Also, my Birthday passed and I am officially an adult now! Well, no, not really, but I can apply for my permit now so that's something OWO
> 
> (And AHEM if you could maybe spare a moment to give a comment or just give kudos if you enjoyed, that would be amazing, it's like immediate inspiration to write faster XD)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real life can be annoying sometimes, Ammi right? OWO I'm not even going to bother explaining the delay. 
> 
> This chapter *might* be a bit confusing, but I'll be sure to explain things at the end.
> 
> Tried posting this as fast a possible so like...
> 
> Errors OWO

Yuma was getting restless. 

There was no way to know the passing of time in Barian world, but by looking at the notes Nasch left him every time that he woke up from a fitful rest, and the few times he had counted the seconds that slowly ticked by out of sheer boredom, Yuma reasoned that it had been around a week, give or take, since his kidnapping. 

All of the sources of entertainment, (there had been many, _many,_ things to do) had been finished in one sitting, and the red-eyed duelist was slowly starting to lose his mind. He hadn’t understood most of the games there, and never really played the same game twice that he _did_ understand unless it was Duel Monsters (Nasch of course, had taken his deck away so that wasn’t an option anymore). 

There were comics too, and Yuma sometimes idly flipped through the pictures, but other than that, reading had never really been his thing. 

The only other person that he saw in those lonely days was Vector. Apparently, all the other Barians had “plans” to do (it was clear what they were, and Yuma didn’t want to hear it, it hurt too much) so he was stuck with the ginger. But of course, being a Barian emperor, he could never stay long either. So Yuma had all the alone time in the world. 

Hurray…

He _had_ done some sort of productive things during the week, despite what most people would think. A small schedule of sorts had been established in that span of time, since Astral constantly said that one should never be short on a plan. 

Wake up, check the note set by Nasch in case it had something new (it never did), knock on the door to check if any new Barians were there (it was always Vector), and then try to find hidden switches on the walls. 

But despite all of those things that he tried to do, there was still always too much time to think, and his thoughts were always plagued with thoughts of Astral.

Oh, how he missed Astral…

But despite all that, Yuma knew he was running out of time. Every hour, every minute, every _second_ that he spent wasted here, could have dire consequences back on Earth. 

Doubts about being able to escape started to cloud his head, and Yuma jumped off his messy bed in order to pace across the room. It seemed like he’d been doing that a lot lately. 

Wrappers from various kinds of snacks littered the floor, and there were food stains all over his sheets. Comics laid open on his bed and pieces from all the different board games were scattered pretty much everywhere. Yuma had never been a neat person, and that certainly didn’t apply to the tiny room he had been cramped in.

The most exciting thing to happen by far, was when, during one of his pacings, Yuma had actually found a hidden panel on one of the walls, which opened up a bathroom to use. 

It was extremely disappointing that it was just a bathroom, instead of some sort of exit, but at least Yuma could agree it was important to have.

It seemed Vector had lied to him though, those days ago, for the bathroom actually had running water and a shower (Yuma didn’t question how another planet could have plumbing from Earth. It was just another unexplainable thing, like how aliens could play card games). 

Yuma also didn’t question _why_ Vector had done it, for he was too emotionally drained these days to even bother. Vector would always be Vector, so why waste time thinking about the thought process of an unpredictable Barian? 

His musings were interrupted by a bright blue flash, which temporarily blinded him. Yuma closed his eyes on reflex, rubbing them rapidly when it finally died down. 

“Yuma,” a familiar voice called. 

Oh no. 

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Yuma was _not_ ready for this. 

“It’s been a while.”

Oh _God_ Yuma was _so_ not prepared for this. 

Nasch stood there in his human form, a small smirk on his face from Yuma’s shocked expression. 

He chuckled a bit, walking forward casually with his hands in his pocket, in typical Shark style. 

The pose was so familiar, that, for a second, Yuma forgot where the hell they were. This wasn’t Barian world. He wasn’t kidnapped by this man and made to stay in a tiny room as his other friends struggled. No, this was Shark, his friend, and the one Yuma fell in love with. 

...Until the other spoke. 

“I’m sorry for leaving you here for so long without visiting.”

Those words shattered the illusion. 

This wasn’t Shark

This wasn’t the one who scoffed and looked away when he was secretly hiding a smile. 

This wasn’t the one who poured everything he had at Yuma, to bring him back to his senses. 

This was...Nasch. 

And Yuma felt his heart begin to break. 

“U-Uh-” he couldn’t even bring himself to speak properly, emotions causing his throat to close up. 

Nasch’s smile fell at the other’s expression, but when he took a step forward, Yuma felt everything rush out. 

“Don’t come any closer!”

“W-what?” Nasch looked completely and utterly _baffled,_ and this was the most emotion that Yuma had ever seen on the marine duelist’s face. But Yuma couldn’t stop. Now that the words have been spoken, it opened up a flood of emotions that he had been bottling up ever since Shark turned his back on him. 

“No! _You’re_ the one who did this to me! I did everything for you and this is what you do in return?!”

“Y-Yuma…”

“I took insult after insult in the beginning, when I tried to make you realize we were comrades! I took every frown, every curse, _everything_ to try and help you!”

Tears were streaming now. He couldn’t stop them, and he didn’t bother as they slowly trailed across his face and landed onto the crystal floor. 

“And then when you...when you finally accepted my friendship... _that_ was the best feeling in the entire world. Do you not remember the times we shared?! You may not be the Shark I fell in love with, but he’s still there, inside of you! And I’m fine with you being Nasch the Barian _and_ Reginald Kastle the human! But...but…”

The softness that was on his face hardened a bit as he turned his head away, clenching his eyes as memories of his friends’ pained faces flashed through his eyes.

“But then you didn’t listen to me again. You kidnapped me against my will and forced me to depend on the ones who are trying to _murder_ the ones I love. You left me for _Vector_ before you even showed up. I just…”

Yuma turned back to face Nasch, allowing every ounce of vulnerability to show in his expression.

“I love you Nasch, but you have to realize how I feel about all this too!”

Nasch closed his eyes, scowling a bit. Yuma’s breaths were coming out in huge pants, and tears stained his face, having let out all of his emotions. If what he said didn’t affect Nasch at all then...Yuma didn’t know what else more he could do...except maybe duel him. But that wasn’t an option at this point. 

“Yuma,” Nasch started, and the red-eyed duelist looked up to meet The Barian Lord’s aqua gaze. 

“Allow me to explain why I did what I did. You know I would never, _ever_ , harm you unless I felt like it was my only option.”

Yuma trembled in uncertainty. He really, _really_ wanted to listen to what Nasch had to say, and that was the problem. If he let himself waver now, he would _never_ get back to his friends who needed him.

But at that moment, they seemed so far away, that dream with Kite feeling like it was an eternity ago.

...And maybe because he just didn’t want to be alone. 

“F-fine. But I don’t think we should sit here,” Yuma mumbled, using one hand to quickly gesture at the messy room. 

Nasch nodded, taking a step forward and grabbing Yuma’s arm without hesitation. He frowned at the red-eyed duelist’s flinch, but ultimately sighed as the two of them teleported away. 

Yuma didn’t think he would ever get used to this feeling. He temporarily forgot about his emotions, his body feeling like it was bursting into a million particles, rushing through the air at hypersonic speeds before slowly coming back together. It was as dizzying as ever, and he leaned against the other heavily when the trip was over, closing his eyes. 

After a couple of moments, he finally felt stable enough to open his eyes, and when he did, he let out a huge gasp. 

They were outside what was now obviously a palace, and Yuma felt awed at the full view of Barian world. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Nasch asked from beside him, and there was a tenderness to his voice that Yuma didn’t understand. 

Even so, he did nod as well. The whole area was filled with warm colors; reds and browns and everything felt so _warm_ as Yuma tentatively raised his hand up, feeling the wind against it. Huge rock formations filled the area, and no two areas looked the same. 

But even with all the cool things that he could see, Yuma could sense something...off about this place. Maybe it was because he had been to the Astral world first, but as the adrenaline started to fade, a sense of danger and unease settled over him. 

_Dangerous,_

_You must escape,_

_The enemy of our world,_

_Chaos,_

**_The enemy_ **

Yuma felt confused at the sudden words that had begun circling his head, sounding like they were coming from everywhere...until Nasch suddenly began tugging his arm, leading him somewhere. 

“Do you want me to show you the history of our people, Yuma?” the marine duelist asked, and Yuma nodded mutely, the strange voices getting louder and louder in his head. He couldn’t properly think anymore. 

_Get away,_

_Danger,_

_The enemy,_

_A curse,_

_The Curse cannot be broken,_

“What curse?” he mumbled to himself, not even realizing he was speaking aloud. 

Nasch turned around to look at Yuma with a strange expression. “Yuma?”

_You will experience heartache,_

_Heartbreak,_

_The God, he is-_

_Rising, rising,_

_Will destroy us all,_

**_The enemy,_ **

**_Escape, escape_ **

_No fixing the damned,_

“The damned?” he echoed, and he didn’t notice when Nasch’s eyes suddenly flashed a demonic red, before settling back into their normal color. 

“Yuma,” he repeated more sternly, and Yuma turned to blankly stare at Nasch.

_You have one chance-_

_One chance to save us all,_

_Rise or fall,_

_The final battle-_

**_The ultimate test._**

“The ultimate test, Shark,” he whispered. “I’m not ready for the ultimate test.”

“No, you’re not,” Nasch agreed mildly, soft understanding mixed with unbreakable resolve in his tone as he placed a hand on Yuma’s arm. “Which is why I can’t let you go. Your friends will fail, and you will stay by my side, Yuma. It’s what’s meant to be.”

At the mention of his friends, the wails finally began to dim down, and his friend's voices joined in. With every voice, it seemed more and more weight was being piled on his shoulders and it was getting harder to breathe. 

The first voice he heard was Kite, and Yuma almost doubled over at the emotions that suddenly overwhelmed him. Nasch caught him though, gently laying the red-eyed duelist’s back against a rock as he gently held onto the other's face, placing soft kisses as Yuma shivered.

_“You can do this, Yuma. Come back, and bring us peace.”_

Next was III and V, and Nasch stroked his face with care. 

_“When you hear of our sacrifices, do not mourn. We chose this fate, and we entrust our future to you.”_

Tori.

_“Yuma, we need your help! Please, come back!”_ _  
  
_

And Yuma trembled harder than ever as the final voice rang out, causing Nasch to hug him tightly. 

_“Yuma, you must calm down. The wills of many, including my people, are upon you, but you cannot falter. We’re all waiting._ **_I’m_** _waiting. But the first step is to calm down.”_

“I _can’t_ , I just _can’t_ , it’s too much Astral. Too many people need my help. I’ll-I’ll let them all down.” Yuma blubbered, and the veil between reality and hallucinations was blurring up more and more. 

A sudden growl brought him out of his thoughts, and before Yuma could even cry out, they all vanished. His friends, remnants of what was probably the people Astral World...Astral himself. Their burdens were still on his shoulders though, and he had to take deep breaths, trying to calm down his racing heart before tentatively opening his eyes.

...What he saw made his heart pick right back up again. 

Shar-no _Nasch,_ Yuma had to remember that, _Nasch_ was looking at him with a bit of concern, but it was mostly fury. And after Yuma blinked a couple more times, he noticed something even more disturbing. 

Both of Nasch's eyes were blood-red, looking maniacal and angry. He was still in human form, so his eyes should’ve been their beautiful ocean blue. Yuma was confused...and maybe a little scared.

“Even when I have you by my side, that damned being is trying to take you away from me,” Nasch hissed, and his eyes flashed, causing them to become an even darker shade than before. “You’re _mine_ , Yuma, and _no one_ is allowed to have you.”

“W-What are you talking about?” the red-eyed duelist stuttered, and if he had the space, he was pretty sure he would have taken a step back.

“You’ll see,” and as Nasch seemed to remember something, his eyes began calming down the tiniest bit, becoming a lighter red. “You’ll see _really_ soon, and then we can finally be together, without any distractions.”

Yuma tensed up, but when Nasch leaned forward with a wicked smirk, he didn’t try moving away; instead, pushing back a bit to the other’s kiss. There was something terribly wrong with this...but he couldn't deny that a bit of stress seemed to simply wash away, and that some of his movements were genuine.

His thoughts remained grounded though, refusing to let go of those who depended on him. 

_‘Kite, III, V, Tori, Astral. Everyone, I remember now. And I won’t forget again. I’ll...come back for you…’_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it!
> 
> Okay so, lemme do some of the clearing up things OWO
> 
> 1\. Those ghostly voices were the citizens of Astral World, who knows, maybe a dark side of them or something O.O  
> 2\. His friends aren't "directly" talking to him, those are just their wills being transported to him, causing him to feel more and more burdened. Maybe they actually said that at Earth, but they aren't actively "trying" to talk to him at that moment.  
> 3\. The red-eyes are something that will be explained in later chapters, and actually has some significance.  
> 4\. Question time: Would you guys like some chapters in some other P.O.Vs like Vector's, Nasch's, or even a mystery one?  
> 5\. Question time #2: Should I keep on going with the fast-paced things or maybe tone it down a bit, like a bit more of things like chapter 3?
> 
> Okay, so hopefully this wasn't too horrid XD (I swear I'll edit for real next time) and I'll see you all...hopefully soon!


	5. Chapter 5

The next day when Yuma woke up, he felt heavy with tension. The events of yesterday wouldn’t leave him, haunting him with their barely heard words and urges to come back home. In fact, he could safely say that their wills felt even more prominent than before. 

He felt too drowsy to dwell on it for too long though, and as he sluggishly rolled out of bed, Yuma grabbed the usual glass of water that was by his bedside table, downing it in one go.. 

The liquid felt pleasant down his throat, helping with some feelings of alertness. He sighed, shaking his head a couple times to get ready for another boring day.

Step 1: Drink water, and wake up - Done

Which meant that the next thing to do was read the daily note that Nasch left him. It was nothing important, usually either the new things he might have bought Yuma, or “funny” things that happened in the Barian meetings they held.

But as Yuma held the note in front of him, reading it slowly, he realized it was none of those things. 

_ Dear Yuma,  _

_ I’m sorry. I’ve only realized yesterday how you’ve been truly feeling about staying here, and I do admit that I am at fault for leaving you alone for that long with Vector. To make up for it, I’m canceling my plans for today and taking you to visit the citizens of this world. Maybe that way, you can understand more about us, and simply enjoy yourself. Again, my apologies, and I shall see you soon.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Barian Lord Nasch _

Well...that was new. But even if he  _ was  _ bored out of mind alone in his room, did he really want to go see these people of Barian? 

He remembered that Jellyfish creature that had poisoned “Shark” and “Rio”, forcing a duel with their lives at stake. He remembered the memory-stealing bug who had zapped away his friend’s memories; their blank faces as they sat against the wall. And he could never forget that hallucination-inducing fly who forced Kite to attack V and try to protect the opponent.

Would these citizens be similar to these kinds of people? If so, Yuma wanted nothing to do with it. But his rampaging thoughts were interrupted, same again as yesterday, by a blue flash, Nasch appearing.

Once again, he was in human form, and there was a small smile on his face as he took a step forward, He looked so genuinely happy for once, and Yuma recognized that small twinkle in his eyes that he only had the awe of seeing a few times. 

Yuma couldn’t help but give a small smile back, yawning a bit afterwards.

“Just woke up?” Nasch asked playfully, raising an eyebrow and chuckling a bit, probably at the sight of Yuma’s bedhead, which always stuck out in all directions in the morning. 

“Yeah, well I have all the time in the world to sleep in now, don’t I?” Yuma responded a bit slyly, and he couldn’t help but snicker as Nasch widened his eyes.

The other quickly regained his composure though, coughing a bit as he looked at Yuma’s wrinkled attire. 

“Whatever. Do you have any clothes to change into? I actually have some extras if you need any.”

Yuma looked to the floor, where all the clothes that Vector had bought him laid scattered about. He knew that none of them would be clean, having been there for days and probably having a wide assortment of food stains.

Nasch shook his head fondly at the silence, bangs swishing a bit with his moments. “Of course you wouldn’t. You could eat fucking riceballs and make the biggest mess known to mankind.”

“Hey!” Yuma protested in indignation, but Nasch smirked anyway. 

“It's true, though. A miracle really that you can keep those white-jeans of yours clean. Well, as clean as you can stay, anyway.”

“Shaaaark!” Yuma whined, before breaking into a huge grin. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve beaten you multiple times in a duel!”

“Oi, you!”

Yuma felt a giddy feeling beginning to rise up in chest as they continued to banter, and if he ignored their surroundings, this could be just like the old days. Just another day in Heartland. 

As they finally finished talking, they simply sat next to each on the bed, soaking in each other’s presence in the silence. They had done a lot of rough-housing and bantering, and they both panted a bit as they stared at each other, bright red meeting aqua blue.

“Yuma,” Nasch suddenly whispered, and Yuma closed his eyes, wanting to take this moment in forever.

He felt the other move forward, and as hot breath mingled with his own, Yuma blindly lunged forward, desperately locking their lips together. 

Nasch pushed back with equal desperation, and Yuma was immediately pinned down to the bed, Nasch taking a hand to pull at the red-eyed duelist’s hair tightly. 

The marine duelist continued to whisper Yuma’s name in between their rough, but passionate kisses and Yuma whimpered back, letting reality fall around them. 

But even then, in their moment together like this, Yuma refused to let go of his friends. He had promised to never forget them, and he allowed their images to quickly flash through his eyes as he suckled Nasch’s lip softly.

It was okay, letting himself be with Shark, even if he just...didn’t break his promise, right? He wanted Shark, but he wanted Nasch too, and they were the same person, weren’t they, and he found that he didn’t really care about technicalities the moment that Nasch groaned, low in his throat, gently opening Yuma’s mouth open as he completely dominated him. 

They continued to kiss for what felt like an eternity, and Yuma was getting dizzier and dizzier as he slowly ran out of oxygen, but he didn’t want to let go, not  _ yet _ .

There was a brief moment of blackness, and when he opened his eyes again, Nasch was still there, a mix of concern and amusement on his face. 

“Yuma, you know you could’ve pulled back any time you wanted, right?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Barians don’t need to breathe so it’s not really an issue for me.” 

Yuma whined in embarrassment, but his breaths were still coming out in huge pants, so he couldn’t really say anything to retaliate. 

Nasch chuckled in fondness, placing a tender kiss on Yuma’s forehead, before pulling up. 

“Well, let me get one of my extra jackets, and then we can get going,” and there it was again, that twinkle of excitement that sent Yuma’s heart in another overdrive

“Y-yeah,” Yuma managed, before Nasch teleported out of his room, leaving the red-eyed duelist to his thoughts for a moment. 

Was this...okay? Yuma never wanted them to be enemies, but if he wanted to get his friends back, wouldn’t he eventually have to get through his closest companion and friend? He really,  _ really  _ wanted to stay close for as long as he could, breathing in every small laugh, kiss, and closeness that he could, but after all their wills that he had felt last time...there was just no way he could abandon the others on Earth.

_ Enemy,  _

_ Chaos,  _

_ The one that will destroy,  _

_ All the worlds,  _

_ Must not forget,  _

_ Must not forget, _

Yuma stiffened as the words whirled around once more in his brain, but this time, they seemed...more aggressive, and he groaned in pain, clenching his head tightly. 

_ Must not forget, _

_ Must not forget, _

_ Must not forget, _

_ They are the enemy,  _

“I won’t!” Yuma cried in agony, desperately trying to get the voices to calm down. “I won’t ever forget, just  _ please! _ ”

_ Stay away, _

_ The Barian Lord, _

_ His curse is- _

_ -Is the strongest of them all _

“Nasch!” he finally screamed, tears pricking in his eyes. Astral was his friend, his soulmate, so why were the people of his world trying to hurt him? “Help me!”

The familiar blue flash appeared in the room within seconds, and Nasch, in Barian form, dropped whatever he was holding, Yuma couldn’t tell what through the tears, coming forward to gently caress his hair with his claws, careful not to hurt him.

“Shh…” he tried soothing, even as his eyes flashed red in anger. He seemed to know the cause of his pain, and the demonic red was brighter than Yuma had ever seen before. “I’m here now. I’m here. Shh…”

_ Do- -rget, _

_ -icking -ll, _

_ -emy, _

_ -rey -ne- _

The voices finally began to fade, and Yuma slumped over in relief, almost falling off the bed, but Nasch caught him with ever so much care, trying his best not to hurt him. 

“Yuma,” Nasch said, and after he didn’t respond, repeated more firmly. “ _ Yuma _ ,”

“Nasch...why would they do that?” he whispered, lost in his thoughts. “I thought we were friends, when I helped their world...a temporary solution until I could save them. But they said...they said they believed in me…”

Nasch widened his eyes in surprise as they flashed, but Yuma couldn’t see, too caught up in his emotions. 

“Did...did  _ Astral  _ tell them to do that? He...he couldn’t have...but the voices just won’t go away and…I...I don’t know...”

“Hey, let’s go, Yuma,” Nasch said as soothingly as he could, and he pushed Yuma up into a sitting position before pulling back, flashing again to turn back into his human form. “Seeing Iris is bound to cheer you up.”

Yuma looked up, a bit of his melancholy replaced with curiosity. “Iris? Who’s Iris?”

Nasch smiled a bit, shaking his head but not saying anything, and this time, when he took Yuma’s arm, Yuma didn’t flinch, simply moving closer to the other so that their trip would be smoother. 

Seconds later, after Yuma was sure it was safe enough to open his eyes without the dizzying feeling, he took a step away from Nasch, rubbing his eyes a bit to prepare them for light. 

Already, the sounds that he could hear were nothing of what he expected. It sounded like...a town. He could imagine in his head a bunch of people bustling around, carrying out their daily lives on Earth instead of some sort of strange aliens like he expected. 

“Open your eyes, Yuma,” Nasch whispered from beside his ear, and Yuma did, slowly fluttering them open and blinking a couple of times to make sure what he was seeing was actually real. 

It actually  _ was  _ a town, and it looked so  _ real,  _ markets and stalls set up inside of tents, and people’s voices rang as they seemed to barter for the different things available. The roads were a bit bumpy, and the clothes that were worn looked a bit more old-fashioned. This scene could have come straight from a movie.

Turning to look at Nasch, Yuma felt his breath catch. The same twinkle that had been his eyes earlier was more pronounced, and this was the fondness that a king had towards his people. It did strange things to Yuma’s heart, his mouth agape. 

“King Nasch! King Nasch!” a sudden female voice called eagerly, and that brought attention to them. 

All at once, everyone turned around, and their faces transformed into delight. They all saluted in unison, calling out formalities like “Your Majesty!” and “My King!”. 

That’s when Yuma noticed something slightly off. Instead of having full bodies, and looking alive, they all had...some sort of major injury, maybe from their original life. Some had spears through their bodies, others had cut off limbs, and some even had a mixture of wounds. But even so...they still looked happy, their whole town looked happy. 

Nasch nodded his head in response to the salutes, but as a kid burst through the crowd, his face brightened up even more so. 

“King Nasch!” the girl, the same one as earlier judging by her voice, called, and Yuma felt even more surprised. 

This girl...she looked just like Rio. If you changed her hair and eye color by the slightest, they would have been exact duplicates. 

He watched in amazement as Nasch kneeled down, scooping the girl into his arms before twirling her, the girl giggling all the while. The others in the street watched for a moment more before turning back to their previous activities, the stalls becoming as loud as before. 

“How have you been, Iris?” Nasch asked, bowing his head a bit as she placed a small flower in his hair, and Yuma cooed a bit silently at the sight. 

“Great, King Nasch! But it’s a  _ loooooot  _ better now that you’re here!” she exclaimed, bringing two arms out to show just how much better. 

Nasch flicked her nose a bit playfully, chuckling as she squealed in delight. “I’m glad. There’s someone I would like you to meet today, though. Someone special.”

Iris tilted her head in confusion, and Yuma was busy thinking about how  _ adorable  _ the two of them looked to even realize that Nasch was talking about him. 

“Who, who is it?” she asked with wide eyes, before slyly elbowing Nasch, and her eyes narrowed mischievously. “Did you finally find a Queen for us, huh, huh, did ya?!”

Nasch shook his head, pointing out to Yuma, and Yuma was finally brought out of his daze, blushing furiously at what Iris was implying. 

“More like another king, Iris dear,” he said, winking back at her as Yuma blushed even harder. 

Iris squealed again, and Nasch gently placed her back on the floor. 

“Wait!” she suddenly said dramatically, holding out her hands in a ‘stop everything’ motion. “We can’t have  _ two  _ kings!”

Nasch dramatically gasped in surprise as well, kneeling in front of her and humming. “But I love him a lot, Iris, dear. What  _ ever  _ shall I do without him?”

Iris hummed in thought, and Yuma simply watched them interact so naturally. He had to be honest, he was a bit jealous of how much happiness the girl could bring out in Nasch, but it was too cute for him to mind too much. 

“I know!” she said. “He can wear a dress and be your Queen that way!”

Yuma stiffened, another blush coming out as Nasch chuckled once more. 

“H-hey!” he finally managed to speak, and as Iris directed those pure, innocent eyes at him, he found it harder to speak. “I-I can’t wear a  _ dress _ !”

“But why not, mister?” she asked, tilting her head in that already familiar, cute way. 

“B-because!” Yuma stuttered, but Iris interrupted before he could fully muster up a proper response. 

“You love King Nasch a lot, don’t you? If you love him, then you can wear it!”

“I-It’s a lot more complicated than that…”   
  


Iris puffed her cheeks out, and Nasch brought her back into his arms as she flailed her own arms about. “There’s nothing hard about that! He loves you, you love him, and then we can all be happy! I can even make flower crowns for  _ both  _ of you, then!”

“Yeah, Yuma,” Nasch mumbled to himself, but it seemed as if he were whispering it right into Yuma’s ear. “Why  _ can’t  _ it be that simple of a happy ending for us? Life has already burdened me so much, is it too much to ask to have you by my side?”

Yuma couldn’t move, couldn’t look away, looking at the two people who wanted him to stay with them. In the beginning, when Astral mentioned an enemy that they would have to fight, Yuma was willing to do anything to help him. They were the bad guys and Astral was one of the good guys. It was simple. 

But now...who could say that these people were villains? Iris, one of the people of Nasch’s past, was a small girl, completely innocent and just wanting to find a home in Nasch. These soldiers and people, they had had a life before, fighting for their king, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. And Nasch himself...someone who only did what he felt like he had to do, honoring those who supported him. 

If Yuma did what Astral wanted and destroyed this world...what would happen to all the people here? What would happen to the one he loved, and  _ his  _ loved ones? Could he really...could he really choose a side? Yuma had friends, but so did Nasch, and it was all too much again, all too much-

“Mister. Are you okay?” Iris suddenly asked in alarm, jumping out from Nasch’s arms and coming to tug on Yuma’s shirt. “Mister, you’re crying!”

Yuma sniffled, and as he brought a hand to his face, he found that yes, he was indeed crying. After a moment of hesitation, Nasch stood up, bringing a hand to Yuma’s shoulder. 

“Hey, mister, it’s going to be okay! Maybe you don’t  _ have  _ to wear the dress now, but I can still make you my flower crowns!” Iris said, before hugging Yuma tightly. 

“Nasch…” Yuma whispered. “Nasch, does-does Astral know?”

“No,” Nasch whispered back, coming closer to Yuma, but not quite hugging him. “No, he doesn’t.”

“I...can’t we...try...for peace...one more time?” the red-eyed duelist whispered, Iris still hugging him and Nasch seconds away from hugging him as well. 

Nasch sighed, and for once his eyes seemed clearly blue, no sign of that maniacal red, or the possessiveness from when he kidnapped him. 

“We-We can maybe try...one last time.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup guys!  
> Happy Thanksgiving everyone and I can't believe I actually posted this chapter on time. There actually was going to be a small scene at the end with Vector and Don Thousand but I have no device to work with and I really wanted to post today so I'll just add it to the beginning of next chapter.
> 
> I hope that Iris was enjoyable here and I really loved writing her so if you want to see her in future chapters, just lemme know.
> 
> I know this is going to sound super cringe but maybe write one thing your grateful for this holiday? I've never gotten to post on a special day so I just wanna O.O
> 
> Here I'll start:  
> I am grateful for you guys as amazing readers and leaving comments that give me inspiration to write, and I love writing for you guys OWO
> 
> I'll edit this chapter later when I have time and I hope you guys have a good day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, life's been...
> 
> Something OWO
> 
> Hope its enjoyable nontheless!

_ Somewhere Else… _

Vector was hiding behind some of the larger Barianite boulders a couple of hundred feet away from the village, his wings twitching in agitation as he watched that bastard king and the little child hug a crying Yuma. 

“Why did you let him agree to negotiations?” Vector asked, eyes narrowed as he stared and tried to understand the crawling sensations making him feel like he wanted to rip out of his own shell. “Won’t the Astral’s emissary get suspicious if the bastard suddenly changes his mind? We worked too hard for this to fail; he needs to be oblivious.”

The shadow that was Don Thousand rose up from behind him, and Vector closed his eyes, a chill similar to a shiver clinging onto his gems. 

“That girl would have ruined everything,” his dark voice spoke, booming loudly but somehow still as silent as a serpent’s hiss. If Vector could feel fear, he would have cowered under that voice. As it was, he simply scoffed, not even glancing behind him. 

“How could a simple girl ruin what a  _ God  _ has planned?” he sneered, watching the two teleport away, leaving the girl alone. “She has no powers, she is a  _ nobody. _ ”

Don Thousand made a rumbling noise, similar to laughter, if he even could. “This is why I’m the one in charge and you’re the one taking orders. She would have noticed the change in him and informed the Astral’s Emissary. And as you’ve stated just now...we need him to be oblivious.”

Vector tried his hardest not to growl, but it was close to impossible without anything to bite on, like in his human form, and Don Thousand made that rumbling noise again. 

“Patience my little puppet, patience...My plans will come to fruition soon enough.” his shadow shifted from behind Vector and he could feel Don Thousand’s eye staring at him with an emotion akin to curiosity. “Though I must ask...why did you insist we spare the Astral’s Emissary? Has the heartless Barian made of stone actually developed a heart?”

“Shut up!” he snapped, before closing his eyes again, trying to calm himself down. “It’s as I said before,  _ I’m  _ going to be the one who destroys him by my own two hands, and I will do it as I will. No one will get in the way of that.”

Don Thousand said nothing in response to that, but as his shadow began to retreat into his form, his last words echoed in Vector’s mind.

_ “If you really plan on taking over the world and staying my host...you must be able to spare no one in our path.” _

~*~

_ Back with our hero... _

Yuma sighed in thought, bouncing up and down on his bed in boredom. 

It had been strange, when Nasch agreed to try and solve their problems with Astral world peacefully. Yuma tried to think that everything was fine, that all the Barians were simply doing what they thought they  _ needed  _ to do, and that things could change. 

And that had  _ seemed  _ to be the case, Nasch acting genuine with his blue eyes sparkling when he said those words. 

But now, the Barian had been so silent when he teleported Yuma back home, all traces of happiness from Iris gone. What could have happened in such a short period of time?

The red-eyed duelist had promised to not let these occurrences go over his head, but thinking about it made his head hurt. Nasch sometimes acted so nice and sweet, and then the other times, his eyes blazed a fierce crimson, a scary possessiveness and ruthlessness in their depths. 

Yuma remembered the two appearances of those red eyes (that he caught), and he hummed, trying to figure out what was their cause. It  _ could  _ just be from extreme emotions, but it felt like something else was at work. 

The first time was when Nasch had kidnapped him at that rift, and the second time had been when Yuma felt overwhelmed by those voices that  _ could  _ have been from the Astral world. 

Both times Nasch had reacted in extreme ways, saying words tinged with darkness and chaos. But was it actually  _ his  _ emotions, and Yuma was making a bigger deal out of it than he should, the cause natural? And if it  _ was  _ just his emotions, could Yuma find a way to calm him down? But what if it  _ wasn’t  _ natural, and Nasch needed his help?

The red-eyed duelist groaned, taking both his hands to ruffle his hair violently. This deep thinking was  _ Astral’s  _ job,  _ he  _ was the one who made all of the plans, finding weaknesses in their opponent’s and finding ways to victory. Of course there were times when Yuma had to do things on his own, the most recent memory when he battled Eliphas, but this was much more than what he was used to. 

He was fighting against the people who were his closest friends, and this wasn’t just a battle, this was a full-out  _ war  _ that he was in charge with, trying to find a way back. Could he even do it?

His anxiety-filled musings were interrupted by an unfamiliar flash, causing Yuma to tense up, looking at the wall with trepidation. 

When the flash died down, Yuma blinked multiple times, trying to get rid of the fuzzy black edges that appeared when he looked at a teleportation head-on. 

“Greetings, Yuma,” a familiar, formal voice said, nodding his head in the red-eyed duelist. 

Finally realizing who it was, Yuma jumped off the bed, standing up straight and trying to look presentable to the Grey-Barian, despite the wrinkles in his dirty, red shirt (he didn’t get a chance to change when the voices haunted him again) and his mussed up hair from ruffling it. 

“Hey, Durbe?” Yuma said kind of awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “Long time, no see, eh?”

Durbe flashed once more, transforming back into his human form. This time, Yuma had the sense to look the other way until the transformation was complete. 

“Indeed, it has been a while since we last spoke.” Durbe said in his usual grave tone, glancing around and taking note of the poor excuse his room was in. 

Yuma simply stood there silently, not used to feeling awkward with other people in the room, and he didn’t like it at all. He liked waving his arms around crazily while he rambled about the latest dueling cards or the amazing food his grandma had made the night before while everyone looked at him like a maniac, but still smiling nonetheless at his positive aura. It was something he was well known for, even with strangers. 

...It was okay, though, Yuma had to remind himself. Durbe wasn’t a  _ bad  _ person, just loyal to Nasch and doing what the other Barians thought was right. 

“King Nasch has told me that I must help you clean your room and get you ready for tonight,” Durbe finally said once he was done looking at the room, looking up as his glasses flashed, which startled Yuma out of his thoughts. “I believe it is of the utmost importance that we get started right away, for there is a lot to do.”

Yuma furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, the insult flying over his head. “What’s happening, tonight?”

“Well, Yuma-kun, we’re all going to have dinner together in the main hall!~ Isn’t that just so  _ grand~ _ ” a new voice purred, and Yuma whipped his head around, eyes blown wide-open at the sight of Vector lounging on his bed in human form, acting as if he was laying there the whole time. 

“Vector?!” 

“Vector...”

“That’s my name~” Vector replied lazily, wrapped up in his blankets and making a rumbling noise that sounded  _ eerily  _ similar to a pleased kitten. “I convinced our dear leader that having some human food once in a while together could be some fun, and then  _ you  _ can have some time bonding with the other Barians. It’s a win-win situation, really~”

Durbe scoffed, mumbling under his breath what sounded like a ‘Well, I highly doubt that in any case.’

“Anyways, little kitten,” Vector continued, eyes batting in a faux innocent manner. “You’re not required here. I believe I got things here under  _ complete  _ control. Why don’t you go and pine after Miza-chan through the halls again?~”

The other Barian clenched his fists in rage, clearly holding back a witty retort as he took a step back from Vector. Even though he was  _ very  _ angry, Yuma noticed in surprise that he seemed the tiniest bit  _ scared,  _ baring his teeth slightly like a cornered wolf. 

It was sadly a familiar look to Yuma, seeing it through the eyes of his opponents whenever he was down on his knees, clinging onto his last life points. 

“Whatever,  _ Vector _ ,” Durbe said, and Yuma glanced up as the other clenched his Barian pendant in a way that felt like he was trying to protect it. “I’ll go and inform King Nasch and then continue with my  _ mission _ .”

Vector waved a hand in a dismissive manner, eyes locked with Yuma the whole time. 

“You do that, kitten. Me and Yuma have... _ things  _ to do~”

The suggestive tone in his voice made Durbe scowl and immediately teleport away, while Yuma blushed heavily, still not used to the new way Vector talked to him here. 

But...this conversation only solidified the feeling that Vector was different from the rest of the Barians. He was unpredictable, not completely on one’s person's side. Even the other Barians seemed wary around him. Yuma really needed to be more careful around him. 

Vector tilted his head as he noticed the thoughtful look on Yuma’s face, pouting a bit at the lack of attention. 

“Oh, Yuuuuma-kun~” he tried calling, but Yuma was frowning, suddenly realizing something. 

Depending on the way the table would be set up...this could be a chance to escape! Maybe he could even ask one of the Barians to take him outside, and then…

And then…

Well, he didn’t know exactly what would happen next, but it was an opportunity at least, right?

And it might be his only one at that, so he couldn’t give up!

“Yuuuuma,” Vector repeated, practically  _ whining  _ at this point. “Why aren’t you looking at me?”

Yuma finally snapped out of his thoughts, chuckling sheepishly at the other who was now standing up. 

“Huh, sorry about that, Vector. Just spaced off, I guess.”

The Barian raised an eyebrow, leaning forward and cocking his head. “Oh?” he said gently, taking a hand and placing it against Yuma’s cheek, eyes so, _so_ dark. “What were you thinking about, then, dear Yuma-kun?”

Yuma stuttered a bit, he was  _ terrible  _ at lying, and what if Vector told the others? That would totally be the end of any escape plan, ever. 

“Um, well, you see…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all!
> 
> This year is really busy, and I thank everyone who reads this for their patience. The plot is going to start moving super fast starting next chapter so that's something to be excited about!
> 
> One thing I wanted to ask you all is how you wanted the story to eventually end? Like the show and have the "good guys" win and the Barians reincarnated? Nasch getting to keep Yuma for eternity while his friends die? I'm curious what you guys would want so it would be great if you could share your thoughts!
> 
> Anyway, sorry again for the short chapter, next one will be much longer (I'm preeetty sure), and I wish you all a happy 2021!


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